Want a Guinea Pig(s) How To Convince My Parents To Get Third Guinea Pig

Well before you bring a third pig home, how are your two current pigs housed? Are they both in one cage? How would a third be housed? Same cage? Is that cage big enough for 3? Do you have a place to quarantine for 21 days behind closed doors and in a separate room from your current pigs?

Anytime you introduce another guinea pig, there's always the risk that they won't get along. You could end up with a situation where you'd have to separate them. That would require an extra cage so it could end up being more costly than you expect. I'd wait and see how it works with the two you have and see how you're able to manage keeping the cage clean, etc. If all works well, your parents will see how responsible you are and might consider letting you adopt a third. There will always be a lot of guinea pigs up for adoption so don't feel that you have to have one of these babies.

My pigs are housed in this: I put the hideys on one side now for maximum space. I'm not sure what you mean on your last question. The guinea pigs are in my room. They are very sweet though! Once my cousin brought over baby rabbits, (they were just learning how to move) and they didn't even seem to care.

A 2X3 isn't nearly big enough for 3 pigs and is pushing it for 2 so if you want to adopt a third, you will either need to make the cage bigger or have one in a separate cage.

If you bring a new pig home, he will need to be quarantined (alone) in a separate room and behind closed doors for 21 days before introducing them in neutral territory.

Would a four by two be fine?

Just like a 2X3 is pushing it for 2, a 2X4 would be pushing it for 3. If these are male pigs, more space helps with making sure they get along. Recommended size for 3 is a 2X5 or bigger.Keep in mind too, that a baby pig has different dietary needs than adults. Up to 6 mths old, they need alfalfa hay which isn't good for the adult pigs to have as it has a higher amt of calcium which can cause stones in adult pigs.You would also need to baby-proof the cage.But before even that, you would need to make sure you had a place to quarantine (separate room from your pigs) and a cage to quarantine him in.

A 2x4 would be pushing it for 3guinea pigs, They need their own space to get away from each other, this is usually where fights arise - from what I have read on here.
If you could move that green chair it looks like you would have room for a 2x5? That would be a GREAT size for 3 guinea pigs, Provide some tunnels "even homemade is great!" and some more hideys and you could have 3 happy pigs.

BTW, Your guinea pigs are adorable, I LOVE their coloring. Very pretty!

I have two female guinea pigs. I would be getting another female. I'm afraid I can only make a 4 by 2 due to lack of space. You can see above in the picture a 3 by 2 is already a bit tight. I have a pet store cage that I just got my two current pigs out of that I could use to quarantine. I haven't been doing my chores lately so maybe if I did I could help out with the cost of another pig.

If a 2X4 is the largest you can go then maybe you should wait on getting a 3rd pig. Not having enough room or feeling crowded can lead to fights among pigs.

However, if you simply move that green chair out of the way, you would have plenty of room for a 2X5.

Other than the space issue, have you considered vet fees? Will your parents be okay for paying vet fees for one more pig? Sometimes vet fees can run up to $1000 per pig when they are seriously ill.

Also make sure that the babies on craigslist are not from backyard breeders.

Are you the one who takes care of these pigs? Prepares their food? Does their laundry? Keeps the cage clean? All of that without having to be reminded over and over?

If so, then maybe you can write out your case for adding a third pig. If not, then maybe when you're taking the responsibility for the two you have, you could ask again.

But, let me point out that anyone selling pigs on craigslist for $5 each is probably a breeder. They may or may not know how to prevent pigs from being born with genetic problems, and they may keep their sows constantly pregnant, which is very hard on the sow. Why not look around you for a rescue or shelter that has pigs which have been abandoned, and give one of them a good home?

Thanks everybody!

bpatters said:

But, let me point out that anyone selling pigs on craigslist for $5 each is probably a breeder. They may or may not know how to prevent pigs from being born with genetic problems, and they may keep their sows constantly pregnant, which is very hard on the sow. Why not look around you for a rescue or shelter that has pigs which have been abandoned, and give one of them a good home?

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The posting I was on with guinea pigs for five dollars only had 4 guinea pigs up. Here's the post: (broken link removed)

I do take care of my pigs. I feed them, keep the cage clean, etc. My mom throws the fleece in with normal laundry, so I don't do that. I do though perpare the cage.

Knj240: Thanks! I like their coloring too.

I admit, I have never taken my pigs to the vet. :sorry: I would if they acted sick, but they never have. I know guinea pigs can easily mask sickness though, so I'm not sure on the vet bill thing.

I think Iwill wait on the third guinea pig until I have expanded the cage which I plan on doing with my birthday money. (my birthday is in 2 months )

After I have everything ready for a new pig, I will present the new idea.

Pretty Piggies said:

The posting I was on with guinea pigs for five dollars only had 4 guinea pigs up. Here's the post: (broken link removed)

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Hmmm looks pretty suspicious to me. Several babies with no explanation as to how they ended up with babies or why they need to rehome, plus a very low "rehoming" fee sounds like a breeder to me. Not to mention that they have them in the "Farm & Garden" section. Breeders have caught on to people flagging their ads so they post them in the sections they think we won't look

I admit, I have never taken my pigs to the vet. :sorry: I would if they acted sick, but they never have. I know guinea pigs can easily mask sickness though, so I'm not sure on the vet bill thing.

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You might want to get familiar with it because you never know when the need will arise. And like you said, they hide illness until it's almost too late. What happens if that becomes the case and you end up with a pig or two at the vet and a huge vet bill?

A wellness check once a year is a good idea. Do you weigh your pigs regularly? That's one of the easiest ways to find out that something is wrong. And although they do hide symptoms of illness, weight loss is one thing they can't hide.

I think Iwill wait on the third guinea pig until I have expanded the cage which I plan on doing with my birthday money. (my birthday is in 2 months )

After I have everything ready for a new pig, I will present the new idea.

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Good idea. I think that's the way to go.

Prettypiggies, I notice that the CL listing you posted was in North Dallas. When you get ready for another pig, let me suggest Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue as a much better place to go. They're a great guinea pig rescue in Lewisville. Most of their pigs will be listed on Pet adoption: Want a dog or cat? Adopt a pet on Petfinder, and you'll have a wide choice of pigs. Do note that they're only open for adoptions on Saturdays.

You've only had your pigs for a few weeks or a month right? Before adding another it's good to wait 6 mos or so to really be sure you want to add another. At this point you have a really good idea of the time and care required and your parents will have a good idea of the money cost for food and hay.

Enjoy the ones you have now before adding more and making it more of a chore than something fun to do.
You can also start saving some money over that time for a vet fund in case you would need it.

I've had my guinea pigs for over half a year. We got them in late March. At first my parents were not very happy about the cost of the bedding and food and hay, but now I have fleece so that's a pretty big cut. We would get two small bags of bedding, one cozy comfort, and one wood shavings. Together the bags only lasted about three to four uses.

I do weigh them. Paddie is a little over 2 pounds and Kaya is right at the two pound mark. Thank you bpmatters for the adoption ideas! How much does an average check up cost for two pigs?

The cost of a vet visit depends almost entirely on your vet -- it's hard to say what the average is.

FYI, Texas Guinea Pig Rustlers has supplies as well -- you can buy in bulk much cheaper than you can get things from a pet store. And I think, if you ask, they'll arrange for you to bring your pigs in to meet any potential adoptees. You also won't need to quarantine if you adopt from them.

bpatters said:

The cost of a vet visit depends almost entirely on your vet -- it's hard to say what the average is.

FYI, Texas Guinea Pig Rustlers has supplies as well -- you can buy in bulk much cheaper than you can get things from a pet store. And I think, if you ask, they'll arrange for you to bring your pigs in to meet any potential adoptees. You also won't need to quarantine if you adopt from them.

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Thanks! Can't wait!